Various and Sundry Links

(updated 6/19/2000)

We sing the web eclectic:
Arizona real estate, online maps, art galleries,
weird news, belly dancers, Paleolithic caves, ...

Surf the net long enough and your board will eventually become encrusted with a few interesting barnacles. (Sheesh, never metaphor I didn't like.) Here are a few sites you may find entertaining, amusing, shocking, educational, thought-provoking -- or all of the above. Or none of the above. No claims made regarding the dietary content of any of them. Your mileage may vary. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. Do not operate heavy machinery after viewing.

The R.W. Morrow Real Estate Home Page: For close to a quarter of a century, R.W. Morrow has successfully listed some of the top land and ranches in southeastern Arizona's Cochise County. Check out this site for maps and photos of current property listings.

(Yup, that's my dad. I even worked as a salesman for him back in another time and dimension [aka the early 80s].)
The Bastoky Gallery: You can hardly swing a banana slug in the Soggy City without hitting an art gallery of some sorts; however, The Bastoky Gallery deserves a look not only for the breadth of artistic vision it represents and nurtures, but also for the entertaining and engaging personality of its owner, Gary Bastoky. (I had the pleasure of working with Gary in a previous incarnation for both of us at Microsoft.)

On August 1, 1997, Gary closed the doors to the physical space that had housed his gallery since the summer of 1995. However, the essence of his enterprise lives on in cyberspace, where Gary continues to represent all of the artists (from Seattle, the Bay Area, and "the world beyond") who showed their work at his gallery. You can see -- and even purchase -- their work online. Even if you're not currently in the market for artwork, you'll find Gary's web site a lively and entertaining place to spend some time. Like its physical predecessor, The Bastoky Gallery continues to feature art with a heart -- and soul -- but never art with an attitude.
Vicinity Corporation's MapBlast!: If you're a map freak, you'll love this. Like Microsoft's Automap® product, only free. Here's a map of my neighborhood in Seattle -- highlighting the Egyptian Theatre, command central for the Seattle Film Festival every summer (and my home-away-from home for those 3 1/2 weeks); click on the map to browse (zoom in or out, or shift the view north/south/east/west):
Kathryn Ferguson: Oriental Dancer/Instructor: You ain't seen belly dancing if you ain't seen Kathryn. I had the privilege of catching her live performances back in the early 80s (and the even greater privilege of being her student and a member of her dance troupe; for more info, see Top Thirteen Most "Interesting" Things I've Ever Done for Money). Not only is Kathryn a great performer, she's an excellent teacher; I haven't seen the instructional videos she offers for sale at her web site, but I would imagine they're top notch. (Gee, can you tell I'm still a fan?)
Shaken Not Stirred: "One is all right, two are too many, and three are not enough."

Lore, recipes, and anecdotes for this most sophisticated of cocktails. Perhaps one of the great cultural contributions of the United States in this century; if you don't think so now, just shake up a couple and you'll be feeling like Noel Coward or Betty Davis in no time.
The Mad Dog Homepage: This is the Mark Horowitz home page. Mark is another refugee from the Arizona desert (Phoenix), and, like your faithful correspondent, did not quite escape the heat in time before it inflicted some permanent -- but quite entertaining and 100% socially acceptable -- brain damage. Check out Mark's "Links" for more of these hard-to-classify web pages, then stick around and chew on the whole darned Mad Dog bone.
Phil's Old Radios -- Antique Radio Gallery: Phil Nelson, yet another genial genius whose acquaintance I made while working for Chairman Bill, has put together a web site devoted entirely to antique radios and memorabilia, complete with photos and commentary. Even if you don't share Phil's love for collecting and restoring old radios (and that would be difficult), you will be swept up by this true fan's enthusiasm.
Paleolithic Painted Caves at Vallon, Pont-d'Arc: Perhaps the earliest -- and certainly most enduring -- home pages.
The Dilbert Zone: Does Scott Adams work at your company? Probably not, unless it's Pacific Bell (and even he doesn't work there anymore); however, his running commentary on moronic bosses, self-absorbed techno-geeks, and theatre-of-the-absurd workplaces will either have you laughing hysterically or crying uncontrollably. Or both.
HotAIR: Annals of Improbable Research: The "MAD Magazine of science," the Annals of Improbable Research "publishes original articles, data, effluvia and news of improbable research. The material is intended to be humorous and/or educational, and sometimes is."

Think Bill Nye the Science Guy mixed with Bill Gaines, throw in a little Monty Python, season with a pinch of Dave Barry, then shake and stand back.
News of the Weird: The online web version of Chuck Shepherd's weekly syndicated column, carried in more than 200 newspapers. For the uninitiated, NOTW contains synopses of bizarre [and he does mean bizarre] news stories reported in various newspapers and magazines around the world.
The Excuse Generator: Need a fresh excuse for being late or not having your homework done? Just stop by here and get one hot off the generator (or add one of your own). You can choose from one of the following four major categories: 1) Just Minted; 2) Say That Again; 3) Could Be True; or 4) What Teachers Hear.

"I'm sorry I'm late but I just heard John Lennon died and I was really devastated."
The Blowfish Home Page: Here's what the Blowfishies say about themselves: "The Blowfish website is for people to browse and enjoy sex-positive products and information. We cater to all genders, persuasions, orientations and varieties of relationships . . ."

And they ain't a-kiddin': they carry everything from slick videotaped "smut" (the kind they keep in the back of your typical family-values style video store); to thoughtful, in-your-face books of essays on feminism, pornography, censorship, and eroticism; to all kinds of wonderful toys and leather items (and we're not talking Mattel and Hush Puppies here, if you know what I mean and I think you do).

(But isn't it a sad state when "sex" has to qualified with "positive"? Just when did it become a bad thing? Guess that everything Uncle Mike likes is either illegal, immoral, or fattening -- or, with luck, all three at once.)
First Amendment Cyber-Tribune: "There is no constitutional right not to be offended."

Your one-stop source for information on first-amendment rights, the Cyber-Tribune provides information on liberties guaranteed by the amendment, op-ed pieces by authors and artists who have had their work banned (or even burned), the text of all U.S. Supreme Court decisions affecting freedom of expression, extensive book reviews and bibliographies, and updates on threats to freedom of speech and freedom of the press -- whether from neo-puritanical liberal do-gooders or crypto-inquisitorial right-wing religious zealots.
Vote Smart Web: "I don't care if they get the kind of government they deserve; why do I have to get the kind of government they deserve?"

Sponsored by Project Vote Smart, designed to arm voters with actual facts (not sound bites) on candidates and elected officials. Get complete information on political contests from the local to the national level.
FECInfo Home Page: If the Vote Smart Web (see preceding link) doesn't sate your appetite for political information, try the non-partisan Federal candidate campaign money page. You can find out more about a candidate from his or her financial backers than you can from windy campaign speeches or vague 30-second TV spots: sure it's easy for them to say they're in favor of clean water and civil rights, but just why exactly are Exxon and the Ku Klux Klan giving them all that money?

Return to Top of Page